Recognition

The Forgotten Foods programme (UK Ark of Taste) travels the country collecting small-scale quality produce threatened by industrial agriculture, environmental degradation and homogenization. These products are often at risk of extinction! We raise awareness so that they may be rediscovered and returned to the market. The programme is part of Slow Food’s global Ark of Taste which aims to preserve edible biodiversity around the world.

Heaven is a bed of
native oysters, British natives preferably, Irish is next best. I
remember watching the contestants at the Tabasco Oyster Opening
Championships shuck the season’s first ostrea edulis at Bentley’s in Piccadilly, desperately
twisting their knives to unhinge these most private of molluscs.
Interest in oysters is growing, with beds being revived around the
British coastline. My current favourite, Cornish Native Oysters, are
harvested from the sea by skipper (Christopher) ‘Ranger’ in his
non-motored, sailing craft, the Alf Smythers (available online from www.cornishnativeoysters.co.uk
– they travel well, by the way.) For those that find raw too much to
take, try them Rockafeller-ed, grilled with butter, a puree of fresh
watercress and celery, and a few drops of pernod.

A CORNISH oyster catcher who works on the last fishery of its type in the
world to use a traditional sailing boat has won a top accolade.

Cornish Native Oysters has been named Best Fish and Seafood
Producer in the Good Produce Guide, a celebration of the most delicious
fresh produce found in farm shops, delis, street markets and direct from
individual producers.

Christopher Ranger, who has been fishing for oysters for four years and acting as merchant for three, said he was delighted.

"It is really great to be named in the book after just a few years' trading."

"My oysters are wild oysters, not from my own oyster bed."

"We gather the oysters using sail and oar and we're the last fishery in the world to be regulated for not using machinery."

Mr Ranger, who is based at Mylor, near Falmouth, said the hand gathering made all the difference to the taste.

"We grade them by hand, we put them in our own tanks by hand and then we pack them by hand."

"There's no machinery involved at all."

"Oysters are quite sensitive little creatures and a well treated animal tastes much better than a stressed animal."

The oysters landed by Mr Ranger are sold on the internet and end
up on the plate at some of the most prestigious restaurants in Cornwall
and London.

Mr Ranger, from Mylor, near Falmouth, started practicing the technique last year but admits he still has a lot to learn.

The oyster catcher has lived in Mylor for four years and has a crew of two men helping him.

"We use a dredge – which is more user-friendly
than it sounds – about the size of three rulers. It scoops the oysters
up from the riverbed into a net behind, like a garden hoe. I am still
trying to master the technique. The rest of the fishing fleet on the
Fal are generally helpful in sharing their skills."

Mr Ranger is one of the youngest oystermen
working the River Fal and he employs students Rupert Philips, a marine
biologist, and Luke Anstiss. After catching the oysters, he takes them
to his depuration unit to be purified before they travel to restaurants
and hotels as far away as Lyon in France.

On life out on the water, Mr Ranger, who takes
his oysters raw with a dash of lemon, said: "The worst days are when
we have no wind and cannot drift with the tide. When it's blowing a
gale, it's a nightmare. It's a great feeling, though, to rely on the
wind and to sail."

Mr Ranger, who was raised in Portscatho,
added: "I catch up to 10 bags of native oysters a week – with about 200
in a bag. This natural way is much better for the ecosystem, and they
taste a lot fresher than Pacific oysters, which are farmed."